Chaos of the Past
by Wings of Speed
Summary: Kythas glared at Hiei. "Then I shall enjoy forcing your poor excuse for a demon carcass out the door!" A look into the life of a breed of demon nearly extinct. Hiei
1. Default Chapter

Author : Issa: Elven-Maid

Disclaimer : The only thing I own YYH wise is various tapes, cards and a lighter. I don't own the characters…in fact, I don't own much of anything other than my car, and that you absolutely can not have! I do own Arianna, Kythas, Nemesis and Dramic, they are all mine!

Genre: Drama/Angst/Romance

Summary : He never wanted to see her again, she had broke his heart once before, it would not be permitted to happen again. For some reason though, the past always comes back to bite you twice as hard. Hiei&OC

A/N : This is basically the ending of the story, but it leads up to the beginning the story, as you will see in Chapter 3. This is just my take on something else that could have led to Hiei being as cold as he seems, after all, having someone you thought loved you break your heart can leave anyone emotionally bereft, alienating anyone and everyone around you. I'd become cold to if I had someone do to me as Arianna does to Hiei.

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CHOAS OF THE PAST

Chapter 1 : The End of the Beginning

Arianna stood back within the shadows of the entrance way of the great stadium, her midnight blue eyes focused on the small, black clad demon standing just a few feet away. She didn't blink, her thick eyelashes casting shadows across her high cheekbones. Her body remained perfectly motionless, the power coursing through her masked beneath the barrier she had created long ago during the tutelage of her only teacher…and her only lover.

She stayed hidden within the shadows, the object of her attention having not the slightest clue that he was being watched so closely. Her long black, silver-tipped hair blew gently in the wispy breezes of the wind, her long silver cloak billowing slightly around her lithe body. She blinked her eyes, her jet eyelashes momentarily eclipsing her midnight blue shaded orbs.

She sighed deeply as she took a small step out of the shadows, moving just a bit closer to the group standing just a few yards in front of her. A sudden gust of wind caught her cloak, the sun reflecting off of its bright silver fabric as it was pulled up and away from her body with the wind. The sun illuminated the strange blue color of her outfit, which left not much to the mind's imagination.

The bodice of the outfit looked like the top of a bikini, a simple sheath covering her chest, bunched in the center by a silver blue string that criss-crossed down the center and tied at the top with a loose knot, the ends allowed to dangle down her front. Sleeves, billowing out at the ends and hanging down nearly to her hips, connected to the top of the bodice, leaving her shoulders bare, except for the cloak, wrapped loosely at her neck.

A simple sarong was wrapped low around her waist, a small, golden, oval clasp held the fabric together, bunched neatly together near her left hip. The fabric was translucent, revealing the light blue bikini type bottom beneath.

The wind whipped around her body once more, twisting the cloak up into the air before releasing it and letting it drift slowly back to her body, obscuring her outfit and body from view. She sighed deeply as she took another hesitant step toward the group in front of her, her mind flicking through the past, images of a time long gone playing against the back of her mind. Her heart lurched in her chest, threatening to break into a thousand pieces again as the memories caused her eyes to sting with unshed tears.

It was a part of her life that seemed so long ago, but she could remember it like it was just yesterday. It had been a better part of her life, a part that she would give anything to be able to experience yet again. Indeed, she would give anything, even her very own life, if it would mean she could have just one more day with him. One last time to look into his eyes, feel his arms embracing her as they had so long ago. Her breath left her in a long, drawn out sigh as she felt a presence approaching.

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Not one, but two, she corrected herself. One was her brother, her only living relative and the other was her best friend in all of the worlds.

She sensed them long before they appeared next to her from the darkness, the brightness of the sun causing her friend to shade her eyes beneath a delicate hand. With barely a movement of her body or a ripple of her supple muscles, she turned to face them. "What news do you bring, Kythas?" she asked quietly in their native tongue, the slight purr evident in her voice. Her question was directed to the taller of the two demons, but her eyes stared at the both of them.

Her brother Kythas stood a good seven inches taller than she did, but he was still short compared to most demons. Her brother stood about four feet ten inches, about the same height as her ex-lover. She stood only four feet three inches, small for even the Demonic Cats. Her friend Nemesis was taller than even she was, at four feet seven inches. Yet they were all small compared to most Demonic Cats, which averaged out at around five feet, usually not much taller. They made up for their small stature though with their amazing speed, which could sometimes even rival that of the Fire Demon Hiei.

"He is here, Ari." The taller of the two Demonic Cats responded, using her old childhood name. A name she had not heard in a long time, not since her teacher and lover had departed from her village all those long years ago. Her heart broke into a thousand pieces once more at the mere memory of his touch. His touch, something she would not know again, at least not in this life time.

Arianna sighed, "If he is here, then it is time for us to depart." She glanced sadly back toward the small Fire Demon just a few feet from them.

"Will you not say good bye?" Nemesis, the other Demonic Cat asked. Her eyes were also focused on the small demon before them. Then she turned her emerald eyes back to her best friend.

"What good would it do? He would not listen even if I did try to say good bye. I hurt him deeply and can not ever make that wrong right." She looked to her friend, then glanced up at her brother, her dark eyes shining with her unshed tears. "If he is here, we must leave quickly. It will not be long before he is able to sense us and comes looking for us." Ari changed the subject, but Kythas was just as quick to change it back.

"Maybe you could make the past right…maybe you could explain the reasons behind why you pushed him away, why you forced him to leave the village. Why you told him you never loved him," the larger Demonic Cat said quietly, his voice just barely carrying on the wind, but Arianna was able to hear it clearly. As such was their gift, the slightest of sounds carrying on the wind, their ears would be able to pick it up.

"There is no reason to dwell in the past. To dwell there does not help our future, a future we may never know if we do not move quickly." She glanced back one last time and her eyes widened in surprise as her midnight blue eyes clashed with the Fire Demon's fiery red and held. She found her heart suddenly lodged in her throat making talking let alone breathing near difficult.

He blinked, his beautiful red eyes covered momentarily by his eyelids, but the spell was broken. In a flash of dim red light, all three Demonic Cats were gone instantaneous. When he opened his eyes again, it was to nothing. The demon who had broke his heart so long ago, was gone once again.

Hiei's eyes narrowed in momentary anger as images of the past clouded his vision. Blinking away the images of a much younger Arianna he turned his head back toward the battle going on in the arena below. Someone placed their hand on his shoulder, causing him to whip around quickly, his katana drawn from behind with blinding speed. His eyes clashed with midnight blue that disappeared in a flash and reappeared slightly to his left.

He glanced at her, but said not a word.

She stared at him, her eyes not blinking, stars shining in their depths just as he remembered when they were younger and had meant so much to each other…or so he had thought. She stared at him, her face expressionless, void of all emotions. She was cool, calm and collected, the same air that he himself bled off in volume. So much alike, they were, yet so different.

"Hiei," she spoke softly, his name a whisper on the wind.

He just glared at her, did not respond. Not a word passed by his lips.

She glanced down at the ground, then her eyes darted back up to his, tears shining in her midnight blue depths. "I came to say goodbye…again." She paused and sucked in a deep breath, "And…I'm sorry Hiei. I'm sorry for how terribly I hurt you."

He said not a word, she was not worth his breath. Not worth his time.

"Hiei," she breathed again, his name almost inaudible as it crossed her pale pink lips.

He just blinked, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry," she said softly and turned to leave. "It was a mistake to come to you," she mumbled softly beneath her breath. Somehow, deep within her very heart, she knew it would be a mistake to confront him directly. Neither one of them needed to be reminded of the could have beens.

He watched her go but made no move to follow or stop her. She had broken his heart once before, she would not be permitted to do it again. She disappeared into the shadows, becoming one of them as two other shadows moved to join her. He knew who the other demons were. One a brother, always close by to protect, the other a best friend, always there for support. Hiei knew, where one was, the other two were never far away.

He turned back around, his attention once more on the battle that was nearing it's end in the arena below.

"She loved you, more than you would or ever will know," the words whispered gently across his ears, the breath gently swaying his hair. He spun back around, but there was no one there. "Her heart belongs to you, it always will. It will belong to you long after she is gone and nothing more than a distant memory…which will not be to long in coming."

"What do you mean?" It was the first thing he had said. The words were whispered, but he knew that the ears of the Demonic Cat would hear them.

Kythas appeared out of no where, standing almost directly in front of Hiei now. "Will you follow me?" Kythas asked, his electrical yellow eyes shined with an unholy light, so much different than the midnight blue of his sister. "Will you follow me so that it can be explained?"

Hiei glanced at his friends, but their attention was still directed at the battle that was just coming to its gruesome end. It was as if they didn't even know that Kythas was there.

"They can not hear me," Kythas said softly. "I choose for them not to."

Hiei glared at the male Demonic Cat, "What you have to say can be said in front of them." The sentence came out in a barely controlled snarl, the Fire Demon's anger barely suppressed.

Kythas sighed as he slowly closed his eyes. Opening them again, he turned his head up toward the sky, silently regarding the pale blueness before returning his gaze to the ruby red eyes of the demon in front of him. "No, it can not. What I have to say is of a personal nature, and besides, I've left Arianna and Nemesis alone for to long and there is a danger here out to destroy what remains of the Demonic Cats. Please Hiei, will you follow me?"

Hiei finally nodded his head, "Hai, I will follow you. But know that if this is a trap of some sort, you will pay." The answer came out with a soft, forceful snarl. Hiei knew he needn't have actually spoken the words, through some bond he still shared with Arianna, he was able to hear the thoughts of her family members, as well as them being able to hear his own thoughts when directed toward them.

Kythas snickered softly, "Ari would kill me if I allowed anything to happen to you. You have nothing to fear from me Hiei."

"I do not fear you, I fear no one," Hiei growled softly from behind Kythas as the Demonic Cat turned and begun to walk away.

"Hiei?" Yusuke asked from beside him.

Hiei turned his red eyes to the Spirit Detective. "What?" he asked, his voice cold.

"Talking to yourself?" Yusuke asked, a smirk starting to cross his face.

Hiei just glared at his friend. Yusuke blinked, seriously wondering if the small Fire Demon was starting to loose his mind. He watched as Hiei turned and started to leave the group. "Going somewhere? You're going to miss the next match."

Hiei turned around to glare at Yusuke, "Don't worry Spirit Detective, I'll be back. I have a few things to take care of. I'm sure you can tell me how the match ends." With that, he turned back around, his eyes searching for Kythas.

He spotted the Demonic Cat standing a few feet away, shrouded within the shadows of the entranceway. Hiei walked slowly away from the group, silently walking toward the yellow clad figure. Kythas turned around and begun walking, knowing without looking that the Fire Demon was following They walked for a few minutes in total silence with Hiei having no idea where Kythas was taking him, but the Demonic Cat suddenly seemed nervous, as if the length of the trip were bothering him. Kythas appeared edgy and in a great hurry. The cat seemed agitated, the black fur of his tail standing on end, bristling with fear, perhaps?

It suddenly occurred to Hiei to wonder when Kythas had went from Human form to Demonic Form? He hadn't seen the transformation, but the fact that he could now see the snake-like tail was proof enough that the change had occurred. Jet black cat ears poked up from just as black, unruly hair. The black tail twisted in agitation from beneath the long, billowing yellow cloak. Kythas' hands were clenched into fists as his clawed fingers dug into his palms, drops of blood falling to the floor below.

Kythas could sense fear radiating off of his sister in waves, as well as pain. There was a great power surging through the air, as if a battle for life was commencing. Fear gripped his heart as terror gripped his body. _That devil couldn't have found us already, could he? _the large Demonic Cat wondered as a wave of frenzied fear surged through his body, sending his soft fur bristling on his body.

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Not much further, he kept telling himself, repeating it over and over within his own mind. _Not much further. They're not much further ahead now. Not that much further. I'm almost there Arianna, Nemesis. Not much further now. _He turned around, glancing back to be certain that the small Fire Demon was still following him. His yellow eyes clashed with the red eyes of Hiei.

Kythas' entire body was covered with soft, short black fur. Silver whiskers trembled as the Demonic Cat bared his teeth, his lips curling back in a feral snarl. He was scenting the air, Hiei realized. Something was sending dread coursing through the Cat's body. The only thing that could have such an effect on the Cat was when the welfare of his sister was in jeopardy.

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Just around this corner, Kythas thought to himself as he turned back around. Up ahead, the end of the corridor opened up into the woods surrounding the great stadium. The pale light of the moon gleamed eerily on the objects below, creating the illusion of phantoms and ghosts within the shadows of the trees.

Kythas could almost hear the wicked laughter of the evil one carrying on the silent winds. A shudder ran through his body as he picked up his pace, hurrying to get the spot where he had left his sister and her best friend.

A few yards ahead, Arianna stood in the darkness, the glimmer of the moon and stars playing gently off of her black hair. Nemesis was no where to be seen. It was as if Arianna sensed their approach as she turned her face up to look at them. What they saw gave them both pause, immobilized in fear and terror.

Hiei heard Kythas' thoughts clearly in his mind, _I left them alone for to long. I should have known better with him so near! What shall the price be for my folly?_

Kythas' eyes glanced wildly around, looking for his sister's best friend, but the other female was not to be seen. He stared off into the darkness just beyond Arianna, searching the nightened woods for the devil responsible for the terrible acts of this night. _Did the evil one take Nemesis with him? _Kythas wondered, feeling his heart grow heavy with the thought.

He couldn't discern anything, even with his sharp cat eyes. The shadows just played into one another, creating illusions of apparitions standing where nothing was. He sighed in defeat and turned his gaze back to his battered sister.

Hiei was also inspecting the damage inflicted on the one who had once held sway over his heart.

Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, a trail of liquid red ran from her eyes down over her cheeks and fell to the ground below. A few small splatters of red marred the stone floor, and speckled red on the soft slippers that the female cat wore. Tears of blood, Hiei realized.

"Arianna?" Kythas asked softly as he ran to his sister and gathered her within his embrace. "What is it Arianna? What happened? Where is Nemesis?"

He noticed in the dim light, the scratch that ran diagonally across her right cheek and the bruise that was just beginning to form beneath her left eye. Bruises covered her forearms beneath the fine hair of her Demonic Form. She shuddered in her brother's embrace before peaceful oblivion claimed her and she passed out.

A whispered breath passed between her lips, Hiei was barely able to make out the words she spoke before she fell into her brother's arms, "He was to strong…"

"Who?" Hiei managed to get out as he watched Arianna's body go limp in her brother's embrace.

"He did this!" Kythas fairly snarled, his eyes glowing in the faded light.

"_Who?" _Hiei asked, his eyes still focused on the slumped figure held within Kythas' arms. Blood covered the flowing silver cloak the female Demonic Cat wore, the pale blue outfit below the cloak was splattered with blood. Darker bruises were just beginning to form more clearly on her face and on the other exposed areas of her body. Her silver cloak was torn and the shadows of rips could be seen on the fabric of her shirt and skirt, the small tears exposing the soft, black cat hair beneath.

Kythas glanced up from his sister to look at Hiei, the Demonic Cat's eyes still glowed viciously yellow. "Dramic," was the only word that escaped from his mouth before a snarl echoed through the stillness of the place. Kythas' eyes were closed tightly as he threw his head back, his cry of anguish surprising Hiei.

"I will get you for this Dramic!" the Demonic Cat hissed. He collapsed to the floor, his arms still bracing the still form of his sister. "Do you hear me Dramic? I will get you for this!"

Hiei walked over toward Kythas and pried the Demonic Cat's fingers from his sister and removed the still form as tears of bright silver began to fall from Kythas' slitted eyes. "Let me have her," Hiei spoke firmly. "You're in no shape to care for her."

Kythas watched as Hiei took his sister's still form from him, it was then that he noticed the huddled figure hidden deep within the shadows of the darkened woods.. "Nemesis?" he asked quietly as he got to his feet and approached the other female Demonic Cat.

Her emerald eyes opened fractionally and she gazed up at him. "I'm sorry Kythas, I'm truly sorry. I tried…but he…he was just to strong for the both of us." A sigh escaped her as Kythas kneeled down on the ground beside her, a finger gently moving a stray piece of tawny yellow hair from her face.

Her lids covered her emerald eyes, the thick black lashes settled gently against her cheeks. Her rustic brown cloak covered her body like a blanket, hiding her own injuries from their eyes. Kythas could only imagine what her injuries were like after witnessing those inflicted on his sister.

"It was not your fault," he spoke softly to the unconscious female, "It was mine for leaving the two of you alone for so long. Especially when I knew that the devil was so near. Do not blame yourself, Nemesis."

*** ***

Kythas watched quietly as Hiei, without an uttered word, carried his sister away. He glanced down at the still figure of his sister's childhood friend, then picked her up and followed the small Fire Demon at a slower pace, his mind lost in his own thoughts of revenge. He would one day avenge Arianna and Nemesis and that monster would pay for his crimes against all of the Demonic Cats. He would have his revenge, one way or another! Even if in the end, it meant his own life.

Hiei glanced back toward the silent figure then looked down at the woman he carried in his arms. _If this isn't ironic, _he thought silently to himself. _Years ago, I would have killed her if I saw her. Now, thanks to Yusuke and the others…I couldn't even if I wanted to._

"What happened?" Hiei heard Botan's voice from up ahead. He saw the blue haired woman running toward him and Kythas, the rest of the gang not far behind her. 

Hiei wondered silently how they had known where to find him and Kythas. Had they felt the surge of energy as well? 

As soon as Botan was close enough, Hiei shoved Arianna toward her. "Take her!" He said darkly, not even giving Botan a chance to respond. Then, in an instant, he was gone.

"It's that girl!" Kuwabara breathed, looking down at the woman in Botan's arms.

"Someone else take her!" Botan cried out, afraid she'd drop the unconscious form. She could feel the girl slipping as her arms complained about the sudden burden.

"Baka," Hiei fairly snarled as he appeared from the shadows and took Arianna back from Botan.

"If it's that much of a chore for you Hiei, I'll take my sister back," Kythas growled.

Hiei turned his red eyes to regard Kythas, "I'm fine," he snarled. Then an evil grin spread across his face, "And besides, you have your hands full with Nemesis."

"Quiet," Arianna mumbled as she shifted in Hiei's embrace. She brought her arms up against her own chest and turned slightly in Hiei's arms to bring her body more comfortably against his, then laid her head against his chest. The sound of his beating heart echoed in her ear and she mumbled softly in her sleep. "Kythas, keep it down, would you?" Then she was lost to the world once more.

Hiei just stared down at her, his eyes opened wide in shock as he felt his heart quicken its pace. It felt like at any given second it would jump right out of his chest as its beating continued to increase. He silently cursed his traitorous heart, not wanting to have these feeling for her again. He wouldn't allow her to rip his heart out once more!

Yukina stared intently at the young woman held within Hiei's arms, then glanced over at Kythas and the woman he carried. "Who are they?" she finally asked as she turned her eyes back to look up at Hiei. 

"No one," Hiei replied harshly. He glanced down at the hurt look on his sister's face. "She's just someone from my past and they're-" he finally started to answer a bit more gently, only to have Kuwabara interrupt him. 

"Oooh," the big red-head cooed, which earned him a quick strike from Kythas, and a glare from Hiei. Kythas had thrown Nemesis' still form over his right shoulder, freeing his left hand to strike out at the red head. A small drop of Kuwabara's blood hung precariously on one of the clawed nails of his left hand.

"Shut it, you moron!" Kythas snarled, his voice steely. "Or next time I'll be aiming for your head," Kythas held the deadly clawed finger up for Kuwabara to take a good look at as the small drop of blood dropped to the floor and splattered on the ground.

Kuwabara's hand immediately went to the small scratch across his neck, a small smudge of blood smeared across his fingers. He stared dangerously at the male Demonic Cat. 

The hair on the Demonic Cat's arms was standing up, like the cat was either bristling with anger or fear. His eyes quickly darted around their surroundings, "He's near. We need to get Ari and Nemesis out of here now! They're in no shape to go up against him again."

"Who's here?' Yusuke spoke up for the first time.

"Dramic," Kythas answered softly, "and he's here for blood. Our blood." One of his clawed hands sliced through the air between them, indicating himself, Nemesis and his unconscious sister. "He'll come back to finish the job he started, and next time the tears of blood will not be the only blood he'll leave behind."

"Who's Dramic?" Yukina asked.

Kythas sighed as he glanced with dread at his sister, then down at Nemesis as he settled her more comfortably within his arms again. _They came so close this time. He could've killed them, just like all the others. We're not strong enough to defeat him, no matter what our powers are. _He glanced at Hiei, then the rest of the fighters. _But perhaps with Hiei's help and that of his friends, maybe we can finally put this terrible evil behind us. But then I would have to relate the tale that started all of this, and that is not a story for me to tell. That is Arianna's right, not mine._

"Kythas?" Hiei growled, breaking the Demonic Cat from his thoughts.

Slitted cat eyes stared out at the group, indecision apparent in their yellow depths. _It must be told if we are to gain their help._ Kythas sighed. "I will tell you the story of the destruction of my people. The destruction that left just a handful of Demonic Cats in this world."

Hiei's eyes opened wide at Kythas' words.

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I've been working on this story for the past three weeks straight, and only have the first two and half chapters completed. I keep revising and re-editing, this chapter has been redone a total of three times and I think it's finally as good as it's going to get. Remember, this is just the beginning…er, actually, the end, so there are probably a lot of questions you have. Feel free to ask away and I'll make certain they are answered in later chapters, if at all possible.

The next chapter goes into a bit more detail on the Demonic Cats and the tragedy that befell them. Chapter 3 reveals Hiei's roll in the demise of the Demonic Cat society and exactly who Dramic is and what role he played in the tragedy. That's as long as everything goes as planned.

Review, let me know what you think. I hope to be able to get chapters up rather quickly, but I won't post them until I think they're worthy to be read. I don't want to hurry the story and forget any important details.

Hope you enjoyed the beginning of a tale that will span three different stories, for there will be two sequels to this tale.


	2. It's Not Right, But It's OK

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Author : Issa: Elven-Maid

Disclaimer : The only thing I own YYH wise is various tapes, cards and a lighter. I don't own the characters…in fact, I don't own much of anything other than my car, and that you absolutely can not have! I do own Arianna and Kythas Whitebolt, Nemesis Windsong and Dramic, they are all mine!

Genre: Drama/Angst/Romance

Summary : Kythas glared at Hiei, "Then I shall enjoy forcing your poor excuse for a demon carcass out the door!" A look into the life a breed of demon almost completely extinct. Hiei&OC

A/N : This chapter will be split into two parts. As I sat down typing this particular chapter, I realized that it was going to be some 20 pages long, if not more. I don't know about the rest of you, but I really hate reading extremely long chapters. And this chapter, if I didn't split it into two parts, was going to be entirely to long, which would have meant an even longer update…by about four or more weeks. I hope you enjoy this part, the second part will go into a detailed explanation of the Demonic Cat society as a whole and what led to their destruction.

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chaos of the Past

Chapter 2, Part 1 : It's Not Right, but it's OK

Hiei carried Arianna into the rooms he and his friends were sharing for their time at the Dark Tournament. He figured that Arianna, Kythas and Nemesis had similar rooms with their teammates, Arianna's team anyway. He wasn't sure what Kythas or Nemesis' reasons were yet for being there at the tournament. Kythas, perhaps protection for his younger sister, or to cheer her on? Nemesis, support for a friend? He didn't know the answers to the questions yet. What he did know so far, was that Kythas and Nemesis were not there as fighters. At least he didn't think so.

Neither one of their names were registered with any of the participating teams. At least, not the names he was familiar with. It was quite possible that they could be registered under an alias. Which brought up the question about Arianna, he hadn't seen her name listed either. Or had he, and his unconscious mind had simply made him look over it?

He was certain that he had not seen her name listed, but he also knew for certain that she was here as a fighter. They had, after all, seen her first fight, a fight that had ended in her own defeat. Though she had lost her first match, her team had won and had advanced to the next round. If only he could recall what her team had been called, as well as what name she had been referred to for he was positive that her true name had not been said when she entered the arena. 

Hiei shook his head, not really wishing to dwell on things that really didn't interest him. Or at least he kept telling himself that they didn't interest him. He shook his head again, trying to clear his thoughts as he returned his gaze to the girl he held in his arms.

He gently laid the unconscious form down on his bed, being careful as to not jar her body to much. She was already groaning in pain, he could only imagine the extent of the damage that had been inflicted on her. She was mumbling softly in her catatonic-state, he couldn't make out most of the words, but a few were audible. "I'm sorry, I never meant it," she said softly, the tone of her voice made it sound like she was near tears. The next couple of words were garbled, completely indecipherable in what she was trying to say, but he managed to understand one word, that sounded an awful lot like 'Toy'. The next word was completely understandable as she screamed it, unconsciously trying to sit up in the bed. "Nemesis!" Her body shuddered as she sank back down onto the bed.

Hiei turned around to watch as Kythas laid Nemesis down on Kurama's bed. The other girl was completely out to the world, not even moving or acknowledging the fact that her best friend had just shouted out her name. Kythas gently moved the girl into an upright position, then carefully removed her rustic brown cloak from around her shoulders.

Hiei noticed for the first time that the clothing that Arianna wore and that of Nemesis was completely different. Whereas Arianna's cloths were on the revealing side, Nemesis' was anything but. Nemesis wore a simple mottled red gown, the reddened tones giving the appearance of drying blood. The top of the gown left her pale shoulders bare, the reddish-brown fabric hugging gently to her collarbone and just below her shoulders. Down near her hips the fabric was bunched together in what looked like a thousand little pleats. A simple pale red belt interwoven with strands of gold clung to her hips, a golden clasp centered near where her belly button would be. The hem of the dress ended in a V, just above her knees, the back of the dress cascaded down to just about her heels. Simple red kid slippers adorned her feet, red splashes of vivid color streaked across the soft fabric.

Yukina glanced from one unconscious form to the other. "I'll need all of their cloths removed," she said softly, trying to hide her face as she felt her cheeks grow warm. Certainly she was a female herself, but it was still a bit embarrassing saying such a thing right in front of the guys.

"What?!" Kythas asked, his yellow eyes turning to regard the petite blue-haired girl. The male Cat was silently wondering exactly who this girl thought she was. What his sister and Nemesis needed right now was a healer, not some young girl playing nurse.

Botan placed a calming hand on his forearm, her smile meant to reassure the distressed Cat. "Yukina has knowledge of the healing arts, she can help your sister and friend. Just do as she asks so she can do what needs to be done, ok?"

He glanced from one female to the other, his eyes lingering on Yukina a moment in thoughtfulness. "All of them?" he finally asked, hiding the slight surprise he felt that they would have their own personal healer in their midst. Not many of the teams came equipped with their own healer, most of them relied on the medical facilities the tournament committee provided to injured fighters.

But perhaps, from the rumors he had heard of the last Dark Tournament that Team Urameshi had participated in, maybe they didn't trust anything provided by demons, save for the demons on their team. Maybe it was better safe than sorry…better to know that the person giving you medical treatment actually had your best interests in mind, and not the intentions of causing even further harm. 

Yukina nodded her head, her voice breaking Kythas from his personal thoughts, "And for you guys to leave the room." She caught Hiei's eyes quickly, noticing the sudden dark look he was giving her and quickly amended, "Or at least until I tell you to come back in."

"Will you be all right by-" Botan began to ask.

"The guys are leaving Botan, I didn't say anything about the girls. I'll need your guys' help in getting these two undressed so I can see the extent of their injuries. Once we've got them undressed and covered up, the guys can come back in."

"She's practically already undressed," Kuwabara said, pointing directly at Arianna. "You can see her injuries without taking her cloths off."

Both Kythas and Hiei glared at the big red-headed boy, Kythas angrily gnashing his teeth together.

"As long as they promise to behave themselves," Keiko said with a obviously forced laugh, totally ignoring what Kuwabara had said. Someone needed to help keep some semblance of peace considering the fact that tension and anger were permeating the room in waves. And the fact that Kythas looked ready to rip both Hiei and now Kuwabara to shreds…though Hiei wasn't exactly giving Kythas or Kuwabara the most friendly of looks at the moment either.

Keiko couldn't figure out how Arianna and Hiei had managed to enter into any kind of relationship when Hiei and Kythas seemed to do nothing but fuss, growl and frown at one another since their 'reunion' just mere hours before. Maybe that was why their relationship had went sour, maybe it was because of the fact that her brother and the one she had loved couldn't get along.

Keiko suddenly noticed Yusuke staring at her, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Yusuke mock-glared at her, "Hey, we always behave ourselves!" His face erupted into his trade-mark smart ass smile, his body tensing slightly for the smack from one of the girls he knew was coming. It never came.

"Yeah, right!" All the girls said in unison. Yusuke had enough decency to blush.

"Ok, out!" Yukina ordered, gently pushing Kuwabara and Kurama toward the door. Botan put a hand on both Hiei and Kythas' backs and started to gently push them toward the door behind Kuwabara and Kurama. Keiko motioned for Yusuke to follow the rest of his team. Shizuru just stood there, smirking as she watched the guys being pushed from the room.

Hiei stopped just before reaching the door, Botan pushing slightly harder on his back. "Hiei, OUT!!!"

Hiei turned to face her, his eyes darkening. "I'm not leaving."

"Oh, yes you are," Botan replied, her voice rising slightly.

Hiei glared at her, "No, I am not."

Kythas whirled around, his hair standing on end, his teeth bared in a snarl. "Give my sister and Nemesis some privacy!" He snarled as he advanced on the Fire Demon, coming to rest just a few inches away from a glowering Hiei. "She's not yours anymore," he added in a faint whisper, meant for only Hiei to hear.

Hiei's eyes narrowed at he stared at the Demonic Cat. _How dare he tell me what to do?! _he snarled to himself, feeling his anger rising once more. He wanted nothing more than to lay into Arianna's brother at that moment His voice was low as he responded, his fists clenched tightly, "I never said she was still mine. I'm just not leaving this room, leaving them alone when there is apparently a maniac out to get your sister and Nemesis."

Yusuke intervened, placing himself between the two facing off, readying to kill each other without a moments notice. "Hiei, we'll be right outside the door in the next room. There's no way anything or anyone will be able to get in here without first going through us."

Hiei's eyes suddenly seemed to turn molten, glowing with a faint red tinge. He glared first at Yusuke then turned his fiery gaze to Kythas. "Fine," he grated between clenched teeth.

Botan presumed the short argument was over with and started to push both the Fire Demon and the Demonic Cat toward the door again, only to have Hiei refuse again. Yusuke turned back around when he heard Botan's groan of annoyance. Hiei's eyes were fastened to the wall, as if he were gazing through it and out into the hallway that ran just beyond.

"Hiei?" Yusuke finally asked, drawing the Fire Demon's attention to him and away from the ordinary looking wall.

"Out the damn door Hiei!" Botan fairly yelled, her anger and annoyance slowly rising.

He turned to glare at her, his arms crossed against his chest, as if daring her to try and force him out the door. "And if I refuse?" He asked, the undertones of his voice laced with something that neither Yusuke nor Botan could quite pinpoint. And neither was certain if they wished to either.

Kythas growled from his position near the door, the sound rumbling deep within his chest and becoming a snarl, his lips curled back in a feral grin. "Then I shall enjoy forcing your poor excuse for a demon carcass out the door!"

Yukina turned angry eyes on both the Demonic Cat and the Fire Demon, her lips set in a thin line of determination. In an act that was totally unlike her and a voice completely the same, she forcefully pushed both demons toward the door. "Out! Now!" Her voice was as cool as her natural element, sending shivers down the spines of those still unfortunate enough to be in the room.

Kythas glared at Hiei, while Hiei glared right back. Each refusing to move, even with the sudden drop in temperature in the room. Kythas' lips were peeled back in a predatory snarl, his sharp teeth tightly clenched together. Hiei stared unwaveringly at the Cat, his eyes refusing to blink. His normal look of impassive indifference etched across his face, giving the appearance that he didn't care.

In truth, the small Fire Demon was completely riled up, his body tensed and ready to spring into action. He wanted nothing more than to beat the overly confident Cat into a senseless pulp. His eyes narrowed slightly, just barely noticeable, his arms still crossed upon his chest.

Botan glanced from one angry demon to the other, not really sure who would back down first or even if one of them would. She finally released her breath on a long aggravated sigh, "Would you two just get out of the room and let us go about our business? We'll call you just as soon as we're done." She turned her attention to Hiei, noticing the look of pure venom he was directing at the Demonic Cat. "Everything will be fine Hiei, you and the others will be right outside the door. No one will get in. Now, would you please just leave?"

"Hn," was all Hiei responded with, his gaze still that of daggers as he glared at Kythas.

Yusuke grabbed both demons by their shirt fronts and literally dragged them out of the room. "Now that that's settled," Yusuke's voice could be heard saying as the door was closed behind him and the two spitting mad demons. 

*********

About twenty minutes later…

Shizuru slowly opened the door, peeking around to look into the room beyond. Yusuke and Kuwabara sat on chairs across from one another, a coffee table between them. A deck of cards was laid out on the table, Shizuru could only guess at exactly what game her brother and his friend were playing. She wasn't really sure she wanted to know anyhow, there was no telling with those two.

Kurama stood in front of one of the windows of the room, gazing thoughtfully out at the scenery just beyond. His emerald green eyes were glazed, as if his thoughts and mind were in a different place or a different time. His elbows leaned against the window pane, his hands gently supporting his chin.

Hiei and Kythas stood on opposite sides of the room, both still glaring at the other. Kythas leaned nonchalantly against the wall behind him, his arms billowed behind his head. A few locks of his unruly hair managed to find their way in front of his eyes, but he made no attempt to remove them. He was in human form, but the dangerous aura of his hidden catself lingered in the air.

Hiei stood opposite of him, near the wall farthest from the door that Shizuru was now peeking out from. The Fire Demon's hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles white. His face was set in his normal 'Piss-me-off-and-die' look. His eyes never leaving Kythas, as if waiting for the Demonic Cat to make the first move. 

Shizuru sighed lightly, slightly in annoyance and slightly from the obvious macho act the two demons seemed to need to put on in front of the other. "You can come in now," she said. All eyes suddenly turned in her direction.

"Looks like I win then, Urameshi!" Kuwabara said as he got up from his chair.

Yusuke stared at the red-headed boy for a moment, "And just how do you figure that? I was the one winning. Another couple minutes and you would have been done for."

"Believe what you want," Kuwabara replied.

Shizuru shook her head. She wasn't sure who annoyed her more, her brother or his friend. Each topped the list at the moment, vying for the number one position. It would probably be a tie, one was as annoying as the other.

Kythas breezed past her, not even giving her a chance to open the door fully or move out of the way. His arm made slight contact with her own, his skin warm to the touch. So much different than his sister's. Her skin had been cool to the touch, like ice flowed just below the surface.

Hiei was not far behind the Demonic Cat, as if he didn't want the other demon to beat him into the room. Shizuru barely made it out of his way as well, the small demon brushing by her in his haste to make it into the room the Demonic Cat male had just entered. Either Kythas had really riled the small Fire Demon up, or Hiei still cared an awful lot for the injured girl lying unconscious within the room. With the emotionally closed Fire Demon it was hard to tell. He always kept his feelings locked deep inside, away from prying eyes.

Yusuke and Kuwabara weren't in a rush to enter the room, as their two companions had been. Yusuke was gathering up the cards on the coffee table, folding them back into the deck only to place them back down. Leaving the deck of cards sitting on the table, the Spirit Detective turned to face Kurama, "You coming?" he directed the question toward the Fox Spirit's back.

Kurama didn't turn around, nor did he give any inclination that he had heard Yusuke's question. He continued to stare out the window, his mind deep in thought. Or so it appeared.

Yusuke walked up behind the fox, Kuwabara watching the scene with interest. Kurama was not usually so aloof as to what was going on around him, but for some reason he now was. Yusuke gently laid a hand on Kurama's shoulder, trying not to startle the demon. The fox jumped anyhow, turning quickly to regard the Spirit Detective.

"We're allowed to go in now," Yusuke spoke quickly, eying his friend questioningly. "You all right?"

"I'm fine Yusuke," Kurama answered, his emerald eyes still appeared distant, slightly glazed over. "I'll be in in a second, go ahead without me."

Yusuke nodded his head and turned around to face Kuwabara, "All right, let's go."

Kuwabara fell into step behind Yusuke as the two walked toward the door. Shizuru still stood in the doorway, glancing quickly from them to Kurama, who had turned back around and continued to stare out the window. It was like something had caught the Fox Demon's attention outside of that window. Something he couldn't rip his gaze or thoughts from.

As Yusuke and her brother walked past her into the room, Shizuru cast one last glance at the Fox Demon than turned and followed the two boys back into the room. Her mind lingered on the lone occupant in the adjoining room though, something about his unusual behavior peeking her interest. Did it have something to do with the two strange companions laying unconscious within the bedroom, or were his thoughts ensnared on something else entirely different?

She didn't have the answers at the time, but figured they would make themselves known sometime later. Yusuke would figure things out, if not him, then certainly Hiei would be able to weasel some details from his friend. That's if the spirited Fire Demon could take his mind off of his growing hatred for the male Demonic Cat or the fact that an old flame had chosen this particular moment to come waltzing back into his life.

She walked slowly back into the room, allowing the door behind her to remain ajar. Shizuru's eyes wondered idly around the now slightly crowded room, taking everything and everyone in. She glanced from face to face, reading questions and emotions in each of their eyes.

Kythas sat on a chair not far from the bed Arianna had been placed on, beside her, on another bed a few feet away, lay Nemesis. Yukina kneeled next to the bed that Arianna was lying upon, the ice apparition's hands hovering slightly over the Cat's still figure. Both of the small female Demonic Cats were shrouded in simple white linens, their bodies almost completely nude beneath. Botan stood just behind Yukina, watching as Yukina used her healing skills on the young Demonic Cat. Hiei stood at the head of Arianna's bed, and just slightly off to the side, his arms crossed before his chest, his eyes lingering on her face. He didn't even pay attention to what his sister was doing. 

Yusuke and Kuwabara stood at the foot of Nemesis' bed, gazing from one Cat to the other. Both females appeared to be asleep, instead of being unconscious from a fight with an unknown assailant. Yusuke wondered who had done this to them and why? 

Shizuru stood near to her brother. Her back facing the still slightly opened door, just a few feet behind her. She kept her ears tuned to the door, waiting to hear Kurama enter the room, while she kept her eyes focused on the things occurring in front of her.

Kythas suddenly stood up from his chair, nearly toppling the wooden piece of furniture in his haste to stand. He came to a stand still a few inches from Hiei, but the small Fire Demon seemed oblivious to the close proximity of the male Cat. Which surprised Shizuru, since both gave the impression that they would like nothing more than to rip one another to shreds. 

"Will she be all right?" Kythas asked, hovering behind Botan and Yukina. Hiei glanced up at him, wondering when the Demonic Cat had moved from his seat. Fiery red eyes clashed with electric yellow and held, each battling for supremacy.

Kythas, his fists white-knuckled, moved a few inches further away from Hiei. 

"What kind of monster is he?" Yukina asked softly from beneath her breath, really not intending anyone to hear her spoken thoughts. Her eyes wondered over the blanket shrouded body, surveying the cuts, bruises, scratches and gashes that she knew covered the young demon's body just beneath the white cloth.

Most of the damage had been healed while the guys were still in the outer room. What mostly was left were a few scratches and superficial gashes that would heal themselves given the time and rest needed. The bruises would fade given time, there was nothing she could for them. Now, the only thing she could really do was try and place both females into something similar to a healing trance, then the rest would be up to them.

Yukina turned her head to regard the male Cat when she heard his soft voice break the sudden silence. It was etched with pain, which was also noticeable on his face. It made her wonder what terrible thing had occurred in their past to cause the pain she now saw sweeping through his body and soul.

"Dramic?" Kythas asked softly, his voice a barely heard whisper. He closed his eyes as pain engulfed his soul and fires of destruction lighted the darkness of his closed lids. He could hear the cries of the injured and the dying echoing in his ears, screaming at him from the past. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the voices he knew was not there, but it did nothing to alleviate the sudden pang of regret and despair that shot through his heart.

Yukina silently nodded her head, "Hai," she said softly. "What kind of monster is he that he could do this to someone who is defenseless-?"

The rest of Yukina's question was cut off by Hiei, "Arianna is anything but defenseless." All eyes turned toward him, questioning exactly how and what he knew of this woman. Except that is, Kythas', his eyes were closed and his head was turned up toward the ceiling.

"Hiei…exactly how do you…" Yusuke didn't finish his question, not after receiving a death glare from the small fire demon.

"You want to know how I know her?" Hiei asked, his voice bitter. "How I know them?" He glanced around the room, meeting each and every eye before moving on to the next. His eyes landed on Arianna's pale face last, staring at her still form for a few minutes before he took a deep breath and let it out on a long drawn out sigh. He closed his eyes and opened them again to stare up at the ceiling.

It was a side they rarely, if ever, saw of the Fire Demon. Pain momentarily flickered in his red eyes, but was quickly erased by anger and hate. He would not show any sort of emotion in front of these people, especially the Demonic Cats. They would not now that past he had put far behind him could still affect him so keenly.

He didn't notice the pale body move on the bed, the eyes flickering open and shut. The dark blue orbs stared momentarily up at the ceiling, then quietly surveyed the room and its surroundings, lastly glancing at each of the people in the room. Her eyes stared in silent bewilderment at her brother, silently asking what was going on. She then turned her eyes to Hiei, taking in his obvious discomfort and the emotional pain that she knew was there, even if he was refusing to show it. 

"You don't have to explain it to them Hiei," her voice was soft, the pain she was still feeling evident in her tone. "No one expects you to relive a past you really don't want to." Her voice became even softer as she said the next, "I don't expect you to relive a past you would rather forget, one that caused you great pain." She licked her suddenly dry lips, anticipating the angry outburst she knew was soon to come.

His eyes whipped down to look at her, glowing faintly red with the anger coursing through his body in waves, "You know nothing of what I'm feeling KITTEN," he snarled angrily. His eyes were like daggers, and if they had been real they would have most definitely reopened the wounds his sister had just finished healing.

Arianna flinched, as much from the use of the word kitten as the tone of Hiei's voice. Kitten, it was a word the young Demonic Cat hated, a word she hated to hear when referred to herself. She was anything but a kitten! And Hiei knew of her dislike of the word. It was an insult, she was being called a child, and it aggravated her greatly to be called one. She was anything but a child!

Kythas growled, his eyes narrowing in anger. "You baka!" He snarled at the small fire demon. In an instant, he had Hiei up against the wall, one of his deadly claws pressed against the fire demon's throat. "You dare insult my sister when she is weak?"

"Your sister was always weak," Hiei goaded. He was purposely trying to make the male Demonic Cat angrier, hoping for a fight. Anything to remove his mind and heart from thoughts of Arianna.

"Stop it!" Arianna growled, her voice still strained with pain. "Stop acting like a child Kythas, you are far beyond this type of behavior." She tried sitting up in the bed, when her delicate sense of smell caught something. She distantly heard Yukina telling her she was still in no shape to try and move. Ignoring the blue haired woman, Arianna sat up in the bed and drew in a small breath through her nose. She tested the air, the scent registering in her mind.

Hiei.

She had been placed in Hiei's bed.

"Please, Arianna, lay back down," Yukina begged, drawing the female Cat's attention to herself and away from her sudden discovery.

Arianna glanced over at the blue haired woman. "I'm fine," she responded gruffly as she threw the covers off of her body and made an attempt to get up from the bed. It barely even registered, till the covers were away from her body, that she had been stripped of her garments. She was left in nothing but the barest of coverings; her shirt, sarong, slippers and cloak were thrown over a chair just off to the side of the bed. She was left wearing nothing but a simple bra and the bikini type bottoms. 

A blush crept up her neck and onto her cheeks as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and attempted to stand. An attempt that ended in failure.

Most of the guys, except for Hiei and Kythas, had turned away at this point, blushes creeping up their faces as well. No one felt like dealing with Hiei or Kythas because of seeing the female Demonic Cat nearly naked, not like her actual outfit didn't leave her that way to begin with…but this was certainly different. They weren't certain of Hiei's involvement or relationship to the female, but they instinctively knew that they had meant a great deal to one another at some point in time.

Both Hiei and Kythas moved with lightning speed to try and catch the female Demonic Cat as her legs gave out underneath her and her body began to crumple toward the floor. Hiei made it there first, his arms wrapping around the thin form of Arianna's body. Her arms immediately went around his neck, gaining support from his strong presence.

She could feel the heat radiating off of his body, searing her soul and skin, rekindling memories of a time long gone. Her blush became deeper, she could almost feel her cheeks burning. She allowed him to pull her body more completely against his as he wrapped his arms more tightly around her waist. In one swift motion, she was lifted from the ground and being placed back on the bed.

"I'm fine, really," she said softly into his chest as he cradled her in his arms, then placed her gently back on his bed. She laid her head back against the pillow, a sigh of defeat breathing across her lips. She closed her eyes, wishing there and then, that the floor would open up and swallow her whole, leaving not a trace of her presence. That was not to happen.

While she had been able feel the heat radiating off of his body, she had also been able to feel the anger coursing through it. The anger at her return into his life. She should not have allowed Kythas to go back and get him, should have argued with her brother more on the issue. She had known it would be a mistake to talk to Hiei directly. To confront her ex-lover directly could end in nothing but more heartache for the both of them. She should have known better.

"You are not fine," Kythas growled. "You are still weak from your last encounter with him." He looked down at her in disapproval, his eyes telling her exactly what was on his mind. He grabbed the white sheet, untangling it from her feet and covering her body once more.

Hiei snickered under his breath, "Your sister was always weak, just like the rest of your kind."

Kythas whirled around to regard the small Fire Demon, "If she was not still in love with you, had bade me not to harm you, I'd kill you right now for that insult!" the male Demonic Cat snarled, his hands clenched into fists, a few drops of red blood falling to the floor below.

Arianna gasped, staring at her brother in shock. _How could he? How could he reveal that?_

"I'd like to see you try," Hiei goaded, itching for a fight. Anything to take his mind off of the fact that she was this close, within arms distance after all this time.

"Stop it!" Arianna yelled, trying once more to sit up on the bed. She glared at Kythas, "Stop acting like a child, you are to old to be acting this way." Then her midnight blue gaze leveled on Hiei, "And as for you, your quarrel is with me, not my brother. If you must argue with someone, if you must vent your anger on someone, place it on who it rightfully belongs. Please, do not argue with my brother."

Hiei just glared down at her, wishing above all else that she had stayed gone. He didn't need her wondering back into his life now. He had finally gotten over her, had finally been able to go on with his life. The anger he had felt over what she had done to him had finally abated, he had slowly been returning to his old self with the help of his friends and his sister…then she had to return. Had to return to open up healed wounds…talk about pouring salt on an open wound.

"I'm sorry you ever returned, _Kitten_," he spoke coldly. With that, he turned and left the room.

He didn't see the tears that came to her eyes, nor the anger that blazed there momentarily only to be replaced by guilt. Her eyes clouded over in remorse and her heart broke a thousand times over.

"Why does he hate you so?" Yukina asked from beside her.

"Because I hurt him deeply," Arianna answered, her eyes closing in pain as memories of the past flitted across her mind's eye. "I hurt him more deeply than I ever thought was possible, and I did it intentionally."

"What…what do you mean?" Yukina asked.

"Do you have the time to listen?" Arianna asked as she opened her eyes and stared at the blue haired woman. _This must be his sister, the one he was looking for even back then. You have his love unconditionally, _she thought toward the other woman, _and you don't even know who he is._

Yukina glanced around at the rest of the group, "I think we have the time. It might help us understand Hiei a bit more."

"I don't think it would be possible to understand Shorty, he's just cold to the bone." Kuwabara remarked snidely.

Arianna glanced up at him, "He wasn't always that way…or at least not to this extent. True, he did seem cold and calculating, even then, but there was a softer side to him then too."

"I find that kind of hard to believe," Kuwabara remarked.

"Shut it you oaf," Kythas hissed.

Kuwabara turned to glare at the other Demonic Cat, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were related to Hiei, instead of to her." He said while pointing down at Arianna.

"Are you insulting me?" Kythas snarled.

"If the shoe fits, buddy."

Kythas suddenly launched himself through the air, having every intent and purpose to slash his extended claws through the bigmouth's throat. Kuwabara stepped back, bringing his arms up in a defensive block, waiting for the attack he knew was to come. The Cat's dangerous taloned claws were just a mere foot or so from his throat when Kuwabara felt a sudden chilling wind blow through the room.

"Artic Blast!" The attack was low level, intended not to do a large amount of damage. The freezing winds whipped around the room, knocking both Kythas and Kuwabara to the floor. Kuwabara glanced down at the small crystal drops of ice that had formed on his skin, noticing at the same time that Kythas had similar bits of ice on his skin as well.

The winds died down, but the drop in temperature remained. Kythas watched as his breath materialized in front of him. He turned confused eyes up toward his sister, "What was that for Ari?" he asked confusedly.

"There will be no more blood spilt this day," Arianna answered. She turned to face Yukina, "You asked what I did to Hiei to cause the anger you feel in him today, I will tell you the tale, but be forewarned, it is a long story, and it does not come with a happy ending."

__

Not all fairy tales come with happy endings…though I so wish they did. Arianna thought sadly. 

And that ends Part 1 of Chapter 2. Like said earlier, Part 2 will go into detail about the Demonic Cats, their history, the details on their past and their ancestors, and what led to their destruction. I hope you enjoyed this part of Chapter 2 as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully I'll have the second part out within a month an a half if not sooner.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me, or just put it in a review and I will try my best to answer it in upcoming chapters, as long as the answer doesn't give away anything of importance to a later point in the story. In which case, if you're lucky, I might e-mail you the answer.

I should point out that this story originally took shape while I was reading a story posted by YashamonMaster titled 'Return to Darkness'. Arianna plays a part in that fic as well, but she slowly has been evolving and changing since that story was originally posted. Things have changed, as have her powers, but her relationship to Hiei hasn't. But I have a few surprises in store for the sequel, which is already titled and the basic outline and story idea has been completed. Arianna is my own creation, submitted to YashamonMaster for use in their fic.

Well, not much more to say. Be kind and review, let me know what you're thinking of the story so far. If you ask, I just might give you a peek into what's going to happen in the sequel…it's going to be full of surprises. Review!!!

I would like to thank the only two people who were kind enough to review so far.

Rose of Ebony : glad you've liked the story so far. Sorry I didn't get to the history of the Demonic Cats as was promised for this chapter, but it is coming up in the second part of this chapter. Hope you liked this chapter as well.

Disturbedvixen : Yep, two sequels planned so far. Though so much has changed from the original version I had planned for this story that even the two sequels have had a complete make-over. Another character will come into play later in the story, but I'm not going to tell which couple I have planned for them to shake things up for. Details are a must for me, so most if not all chapters will be done in great detail. And yes, I do have to agree that Arianna's cloths are a bit (ok, a lot) on the revealing side, but as a fighter she believes that the less cloths to restrict you, the less friction of movement. That or she just likes to show off her body…so yeah, she does have a perfect body I guess you could say.

Thank you again for your reviews!


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